1st Right of Reply to the Russian Federation

1st Right of Reply to the Russian Federation

As delivered by Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Harry Kamian
to the Permanent Council, Vienna
November 30, 2017

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to express my appreciation to my esteemed colleague from the Russian Federation for providing additional information regarding the Russian media law. However, since he did mention my country in his response, I’d like to exercise my right of reply.

In response to my distinguished Russian colleague, while the subject of the Current Issue under discussion is Russia’s draft media law, I thought it might be useful to provide my Russian colleague as well as a few other participating States who may have some questions about some of the issues that the Russian Ambassador raised.

Entities that work in the United States on behalf of foreign media outlets can have an obligation to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which is known as FARA, if they are acting at the order, request, or direction and control of the foreign company. Agents in the United States of foreign controlled media outlets have to register, simply so it is transparent they are working on behalf of a foreign principal. Their news gathering organizations can still function as journalists do in the United States and they can still broadcast and report their findings. They just cannot conceal their relationship with the foreign outlet.

The fact remains that Russia’s repressive law has been interpreted to apply to organizations that receive even minimal funding from any foreign sources – government or private – and engage in political activity, defined so broadly as to cover nearly all civic activity Russia uses its law to restrict, intimidate, prosecute, and shut down civil society. When the United States tells someone to register under a foreign agent requirement, we do not impact or affect their ability to report news and information in the United States. We just have them register.